Harem System In A fantasy World

Chapter 386: Laughing

It seemed they were only here to pick up a few people before finally returning to Haven.

"I’ll be right back."

Xavier Dawncrest rose to his feet, dusted off his clothes lightly, and took a quiet breath before walking toward the door and flying off the island.

Elion watched him leave with an odd look.

"He seemed a little tense. Should I assume he is going to retrieve our young prince?"

Noctis pursed his lips and nodded.

"Yep."

Elion plucked a branch of grapes from the bowl of fruit on the table and began periodically tossing one into his mouth while they waited.

The lounge had become rather quiet.

He really was not looking forward to this, but it was bound to happen, so he was calm. That didn’t make it any easier though.

He suddenly realised just how filthy he looked and how extravagant the plush couch beneath him was. For a moment, he almost jumped to his feet, worried that he might ruin the expensive-looking furniture, but then he noticed that neither Fenrir nor Noctis had bothered to clean themselves up either.

No doubt, they were exhausted after the battle and didn’t care much for appearances at this point.

They did not look quite as bad as he did, but that did not mean they looked particularly presentable either. In fact, if Elion had paid closer attention, he would have noticed that one of Saint Fenrir’s tails was missing entirely.

With that in mind, he decided to relax.

He sank deeper into the couch and let out a long, tired sigh.

"I could use some sleep," he muttered quietly.

"Couldn’t we all?" Fenrir replied with a soft chuckle.

Elion blinked.

"Hmm... Did I say that out loud?"

"You certainly did," Fenrir answered with a light smile, hiding the lower half of her face behind her teacup as she took another sip.

A few minutes later, two figures appeared outside the glass doors at the main entrance. A servant quickly stepped forward and opened them, allowing a very bewildered Alexander to walk inside, with Sage Xavier following closely behind him.

Once they entered, Xavier took the lead while Alexander followed with his usual princely grace, though Elion could not help but notice that the young prince looked somewhat ragged.

It did not feel as though they had been apart for very long, but so much had happened within the past day or so that Elion had temporarily lost track of time. His perception of it had become a little skewed after everything he had experienced.

Alexander raised a brow when he noticed Elion lounging on the couch in an equally ragged state, casually chewing on grapes. The last time they were together, things were going to shit, and now that the war had ended in their favour, Alexander could guess that they had Elion to thank for that. freeweɓnøvel.com

Coincidentally, the large branch that had been resting on the table a few minutes earlier had completely vanished. Elion managed a faint smile and lifted one hand in greeting, but he did not say anything.

Judging by the bright glint in Alexander’s eyes and relatively calm demeanour, Xavier had not yet broken the news to him, just as Elion had requested. The young prince looked normal, or at least as normal as someone could look after spending days near an active battlefield.

He did not look like a boy who had lost his father.

And Elion was right. Alexander had been in the middle of a meeting when Xavier suddenly arrived, pulled him away without any explanation, and brought him into the skies.

He had spent most of the short journey asking questions, but the Sage Mage had answered none of them directly.

Now that he was inside the lounge, Alexander’s gaze moved slowly across the room.

The young prince’s expression gradually changed as his gaze moved from one face to the other, giving Fenrir and Noctis each a brief, respectful nod.

But in each greeting, he didn’t receive the usual overbearing pressure from the Saints when he looked at them. He suddenly noticed the way Noctis had gone unusually still. The way Fenrir had lowered her teacup slightly, her earlier smile fading from her face. The way Xavier stood nearby in silence, his shoulders tense and his expression grave.

And then there was Elion. Well, not much about Elion looked different. The dried blood, the ruined armour, and the exhaustion in his eyes, paired with his relaxed posture, didn’t give much away. But the absence of his usual teasing smile irked him the most out of everything else.

Alexander’s gaze moved around the lounge once again.

Something, rather, someone was missing.

There was no booming laughter, no shameless banter, and no overwhelming presence filling every corner of the lounge without effort.

The silence suddenly became suffocating.

Alexander looked toward Xavier, "Why was I brought here?" No one answered immediately. The young prince’s eyes narrowed as his gaze returned to Elion.

Elion could see something faintly resembling dread beginning to settle behind his eyes.

"Where is my father?" Alexander asked. His father was rather calm, considering he had most likely come to the right conclusion already.

’What a smart boy.’ He couldn’t help but think quietly, sighing inwardly at the same time. Elion slowly placed the remaining grapes back onto the table.

’Why did I suggest that I break the news?’ He suddenly didn’t feel as eager anymore. Perhaps he had thought that Alexander would take the news better if he were the one to tell him. In a way, he was right; no doubt, Alexander was much more comfortable around him than he would ever be with these old coots.

Unfortunately, Elion had no witty remark to offer beneath the weight of the moment, as he usually did whenever he spoke with the prince.

He rose from the couch and walked toward Alexander.

The room became deathly quiet.

"Alexander," Elion began softly.

The prince did not move. His fingers slowly curled into fists at his sides as Elion stopped a short distance away from him.

In that brief, suffocating silence, Alexander seemed to age several years.

In the end, Elion decided it would be better to show him rather than simply speak.

"Come. Follow me."

He gave Alexander a small pat on the shoulder before walking past him and leading the way.

For a moment, Alexander simply stared at his back without following.

His expression remained composed, but something in his eyes had already begun to fracture. It was as though, even before the words were spoken, the young prince had already understood what had happened.

Then he followed.

The walls of the villa were painted white, and the halls were mostly empty. There were quite a few rooms and passages throughout the building, but they were not here to sightsee.

Elion briefly glanced back.

He had already confirmed that Alexander was following from the sound of his footsteps, but the prince kept a short distance between them, his gaze lowered toward the floor.

No doubt, he was brooding and dreading the inevitable.

Elion sighed and stopped. They had reached the room.

He tested the handle, confirming that it was unlocked. He opened the door and stepped inside.

"Come," he beckoned quietly.

Alexander caught up and finally lifted his gaze from the floor, looking into the plain white room before them.

It was spacious but sparsely furnished. Near the centre stood a raised platform, and on top of it lay a body covered beneath a white sheet.

Elion walked forward slowly.

He reached for the sheet and pulled it back near the head, revealing a handsome blond face marred by scars.

Melroy looked peaceful.

Elion heard Alexander’s breath quicken.

He looked back toward the young prince and saw that his eyes were already glistening, though he was trying desperately to hold it all in.

"I saw him die," Elion said quietly. "He dropped right before my eyes, after he burned himself out trying to reach my thinking I was in danger."

He smiled faintly and released a soft chuckle.

Perhaps it was inappropriate, given the situation, but he could not help himself when he thought about the way the boisterous king had chosen to go out.

"He died laughing," Elion said simply.

Alexander’s footsteps echoed softly through the room as he stepped forward.

He stopped beside the platform on the opposite side of Elion, then slowly pulled the sheet back to the middle of Melroy’s chest. The gaping wound where his heart had once been was concealed beneath a smaller piece of cloth; the same was true for the cavity on his side.

Elion looked at it quietly, ’I wonder if that can be healed, just enough to cover it up for the burial.’

Neither of them spoke for the next few minutes.

When Elion finally looked toward Alexander again, he saw that the young prince had stopped trying to hold back his tears. They flowed silently down his cheeks.

"Could you..." Alexander began, his voice hoarse. "Could you leave us alone for a moment?"

Elion nodded and quietly left the room, closing the door behind him. Once he was outside, he released a deep sigh.

"Okay," he muttered under his breath. "Let’s not do that again."

He shook his head dryly, wondering what had come over him when he volunteered himself for this in the first place.

And he still had a princess to take care of.

’The things we do for love...’

He chuckled wryly and began making his way back toward the lounge.

"I wonder when I can have that bath?"